


Into the Fire

by makoredeyes



Series: Turning of Hearts [2]
Category: Titanfall
Genre: Character Study, It's still complicated, M/M, Rare Pairings, Romance, Slow Burn, Ya'll could help me carry this..., building romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-06-07
Packaged: 2019-05-19 05:52:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14867879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makoredeyes/pseuds/makoredeyes
Summary: He had no idea of what Blisk was to him. A friend? They certainly weren't enemies anymore. Not really. Those ten days in the mercenary's....care?...haunted him, even a year later.Direct Continuation of Out of the Pan





	Into the Fire

**Author's Note:**

> Lets face it we all knew it was gonna get Gay. =3 Direct continuation of Out of the Pan.
> 
> Super duper rainbow sparkly thanks to Kieran for not only finding all my remarkably idiotic mistakes (as usual except there were an assload of them this time), but also letting me borrow one of his OCs for a cameo <3

“Pilot."

BT's rumbled warning spoke volumes beyond the single word, and Jack looked up sharply as the Titan slowed to a cautious stop. A hundred yards away, the hulking silhouette of a Legion stood back lit in the tropical sunlight, its crimson optics bright points against shadow. It was, without a doubt, staring straight at them, all seven primary optics as well as its shoulder-mounted auxiliary pointed their way. Despite this, after a moment, it lowered its weapon, and turned away.

"Receiving encrypted message," BT intoned softly. Even as Jack watched the Legion's back, the text scrolled across his HUD.

 _Hey, Kid._  There was nothing else, but now that the Titan in question had moved back into the sunlight, he could make out the distinct red, black and white warpaint. Jack's heart did a little cartwheel down into his stomach.

Red.

"Have anything to say?" BT asked softly. "The channel is open."

 

It'd been a year since Typhon. A year since his stay with the last of the Apex Predators after he and BT had been forced to destroy the entirety of Blisk's team, only be rescued by the man he'd, until then, considered his mortal enemy.

Jack and BT's Neural Link was now stronger than ever. He had taken the time to receive proper training, and eventually, they'd returned to active duty. Though rumors about the legendary mercenary's exploits were constant, proving he was as active as ever, this was the first time they'd crossed paths on the battlefield.

"I... I don't know," Jack said softly. "I... no."

It was upsetting, somehow.

He had no idea of what Blisk was to him. A friend? They certainly weren't enemies anymore. Not really. Those ten days in the mercenary's....care?...haunted him, even a year later.

He and BT had never discussed it. The Titan had once or twice hinted that he knew what had transpired, or at least enough of it, but they'd never openly broached the topic. It was this strange, misshapen thing  lurking in the back of his mind that Jack had stuffed into a box and buried, and up until this very moment, that had seemed like the right thing to do.

“Very well,” BT said, and quietly sent his own reply.

_Thank you._

 

At the end of the day, BT and Jack were among only a few dozen survivors, the Militia forces greatly diminished thanks to Blisk and his cronies. Luckily, no one had witnessed the exchange between they and the Legion, but guilt plagued Jack anyway.

“It appears you have earned yourself quite the dubious honor, Pilot,” BT said. The hangar was empty now except for the two of them, and only now did the Vanguard deem it safe to broach the notably sensitive topic of his Pilot's unlikely ally.

“It seems that way...” Jack murmured. “I don't understand it, though...”

“You will,” BT said cryptically.  

Jack scowled, and though he very rarely spoke roughly to BT in any manner said, "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

There was a smile in BT's voice as he replied, "Oh, nothing."

 

Eventually, Jack would begin to wonder if Blisk was actively targeting their company as sightings of him became increasingly frequent. They ran into Blisk and his team yet again only six months after the first encounter, and again a substantial chunk of their group had failed to return home, but BT and Jack had been left alone.  And again, four months after that, when Jack had his first face to face encounter with an Apex Predator since Typhon.

 

It was a frightening thing, staring across the battlefield straight down the imposing length of a railgun that appeared to be pointed directly at his face.   It was an absolutely horrifying thing to realize you were staring down the barrel of a railgun with your canopy open.

Jack froze.   He'd been about to leap from BT's cockpit, but was now pinned in fear by the considerable danger aimed their way.  

"Pilot," BT rumbled in warning,   "this is someone different..."

The red and black branded Northstar stood unwavering, but hadn't yet fired a shot.   Jack stared back into the striking, deep-blue optic and reached into his pocket. His hand shook as he withdrew a battered and dogeared card and raised it to eye level.   He stared back at the devilish horned skull printed on one side of it for a moment before swallowing hard and turning it outwards, trusting the power of the scope on that rifle to show the other Pilot what he held.

Immediately, the Northstar lowered its weapon and turned away, dashing off in another direction.    

Jack sat heavily back into his seat as he blew out the breath he'd been holding.   He was shaking all over, and it took several tries before he got Blisk's card stuffed back into his pocket. His chest heaved as he gasped for air, and only when the canopy had closed back up did his pulse begin to slow.

"Holy shit, BT..."  

"I concur, Pilot."  

 

"BT...that's...this is where we were, I'm certain of it." There was no mistaking the dull, gray-brown atmosphere of the planet Bohr as the same planet where Blisk had brought him just over two years prior. He couldn't help but feel a hard shock of excitement in his chest at the sight of the ugly little globe as their carrier jumped into its orbit.    

"Yes it is," BT agreed. His tone was softer than usual, and almost cautious, and Jack realized a little too late that he had no business being excited. Jack cringed.

"I mean, just that I never knew and it kind of bothered me," he amended, somewhat lamely.    

"I understand," BT said.   "It was an experience shrouded greatly in mystery for you, it makes sense that answering even a little question would bring immense satisfaction."  

"Yeah, that..." Jack sighed.

 

Wherever it was on Bohr that they were deployed turned out to be nothing like where Blisk had taken him, and Jack couldn't decide if he was disappointed or relieved.  The battle damn near demolished the town, but thankfully the civilian population was sparse, the majority of the few residents proving to be employees of the IMC funded manufacturing plant, and the Militia's target, at its center. Ultimately, he was relieved Blisk’s home wasn’t jeopardized.

Jack's misplaced sense of disappointment only increased however, when, for the first time in months, the assault wasn't intercepted by the Apex Predators.

 

"Something on your mind, Pilot?" BT asked later that evening once they were safely away from battle. The Vanguard was remarkably astute, and knew the language of Jack's increasingly broody silences just as well as spoken words.  

Jack didn't want to talk about it.

"Nah, just tired," he lied. Either BT bought it, which was unlikely, or he let it slide.

"Understandable."

 

Jack really needed to stay in the cockpit and let the foot soldiers be foot soldiers. Nothing good ever came when he popped that canopy, and it was with good reason that BT hesitated just slightly before releasing him to the fray. Jack, however, still considered the riflemen on the ground his brethren, and when he could help them, be it by creating a distraction, shielding them, or joining their ranks, he did.  

This battle was no different, and he sent BT off to help defend another platoon as he hit the ground running, determined to break up the IMC goons making their way through the front lines.  

 

Up valley, several booms and then explosions of dirt and rock being sent upward into the sky heralded the drop of a half-dozen new titans.  All of them were painted in the same red and black war paint and Jack felt his stomach flip.

_Kuben..._

He stood staring as the group dispersed. Several were familiar from previous battles, a couple were not.  Blisk’s gang of hired thugs was growing larger. He kept his eyes on the single Legion alone, however, lumbering vaguely his direction.    

He was, in fact, watching the Legion more than he was paying attention to the battle, and the dalliance came to bite him several minutes later when a grenade exploded far too close by, sending him careening up and backwards into the air.   He struck high on a tree and dropped like a rock with a yelp. His chest burned as he gasped for air, thoroughly winded, and the sharp throb in his back and side suggested something was broken. Darkness overtook him.

    

"Hey, I think you should see this."  The voice was unfamiliar.

Jack's eyes peeled open to see the imposing figure of a Northstar towering over him, and, closer, a man stood at his side, helmet tucked under one arm and a hand to his ear.   "It's...yeah." The man glanced down, vibrant green eyes bright and flashing as he gave Jack a dangerous smile. He had a thick gouge latticed with broad, dark stitches carved over his left cheekbone, the skin underneath black and blue. Jack couldn't tear his eyes off the ghastly looking wound.  "You're a lucky man, Cooper."

Jack shuddered, still heaving for breath, but somehow, the familiar emblem on the stranger’s chest gave him comfort instead of striking fear, and, with a little groan, he slipped back into unconsciousness.

It was only moments later that BT bounded up, skidding to a halt as the Apex Northstar raised it's weapon in warning.  

"Aah ah, just hold it right there big guy," the Pilot said, boldly turning to face BT, seemingly unconcerned by the truck-sized chaingun aimed at his chest.  

     "State your intentions," BT demanded.    

"Just settle down and we won't hurt him," the green eyed man drawled. Not far away, Blisk's Legion appeared out of the haze of battle, trudging up as quickly as it could go. BT made a frustrated grinding noise, but subsided, taking a hesitant step back and lowering his weapon to a more passive station.

"State your name?" He asked, earning nothing but a bitter laugh for his efforts. "Callsign?" He tried instead. This garnered him an immediate bright, murderous grin, and an answer.

"Scythe."  

BT was not reassured. He shifted his weight, terribly anxious as he kept one optic locked on the other Titans, and one on his prone Pilot.  

As the Legion arrived, BT finally realized that the Northstar had its attention turned outward toward the battle, not on he or Jack.   It had been guarding them.

"Oops, Kid's KO'ed again, huh?" Red rumbled sympathetically, his canopy popping open.   BT relaxed marginally as Blisk emerged, by now trusting that the mercenary would do them no harm.  

"Alright, Scythe, stand down a bit, eh?" Blisk said, leaping to the ground with a soft grunt.   "Th' Vanguard's gonna blow a gasket with ya makin' scary faces like that."

"We're going to draw unwanted attention," The Northstar spoke up suddenly and much like Red, her notably feminine and soft tones proved to be another striking discordance to her Pilot's demeanor.

"She's right. Get back out there and get us some space. Ah got this."  

Scythe shot BT another unfriendly smile and leapt up into his Titan's open cockpit without comment, the Northstar turning rapidly and dashing off back into battle. Blisk watched them go, then moved to Jack's side, crouching down.  BT shifted again, his optic flickering with concern. Blisk gave Jack a light shake, getting a dazed grumble for his efforts. He huffed a sigh, throwing down a medkit, then looked up at BT.

"Ya kin quit worryin', Ah'm gonna help him an' then get on my way," he said quietly. BT settled immediately, hunkering down into a restive position.  Blisk gave BT pleased little smile and then set to work, pulling the cap off an autoinjector and thumping it into Jack's thigh. His hard expression softening dramatically when Jack groaned again and tried to sit up onto his elbows.  

"BT...?!" Jack mumbled, shaking his head. He couldn't quite see straight yet as the stim injection kicked in, the pain and the daze vaporizing sluggishly.  

"He's fine, he's right here," Blisk assured, and Jack finally looked up at the figure crouched over him, blinking hard.  "You gotta quit gettin’ yerself knocked out, Coop," the merc said, gently leveraging Jack back to the ground. "Now stay down until we know yer not hurt, yeah?"

"Two broken ribs, spinal column partially misaligned but undamaged," BT supplied.  

"Yeah, stay down," Blisk muttered, keeping his hand planted on Jack's shoulder. The heat of his palm soaked clean through Jack's flight suit and uniform. His head swam and his pulse fluttered, and he fumbled to pull his helmet away. When he was unsuccessful, Blisk lifted his hand to help, and, feeling oddly cold once Blisk had taken his hand away, the Militia Pilot let his head drop back as he gasped for breath.

"H-hey..." He said, his tone far warmer than he’d intended as he offered the Apex Predator a crooked smile. "Feel kinda weird..."  Blisk frowned in concern, taking a moment to glance cautiously over his shoulder at the battle that had, thanks to Scythe, shifted well away from where they remained. Satisfied they were safe from both the war, and prying eyes for the time being, the mercenary returned his attention to Jack.

“Weird?” He double checked the label on the injector he’d used, but saw what he’d been expecting. He reached out, carefully laying his palms over Jack’s chest, methodically squeezing the other Pilot’s torso gently and checking for injuries. Jack let out a startled gasp that Blisk adamantly ignored, as well as a squeak of pain when Blisk found the injured ribs, but otherwise remained passive through the pat-down.  When he’d likewise checked the other Pilot’s legs as well only to find nothing, Blisk glanced up at BT in question.

The Vanguard had the audacity to shrug.

“Scans indicate a slight increase in respiration and an elevated pulse but no other indication of injury or negative reaction to the administered first aid,” BT clarified when Blisk scowled at him.  He glanced back down at Jack to see the other man staring up at him somewhat dopily. The Militia Pilot was growing himself a black eye from the impact, and the mercenary grimaced in sympathy. Their eyes met, and held, and Blisk could actually see a vein in Jack’s temple start to throb a little faster as they stared at each other. The moment stretched, and then Blisk caught himself, yanking his eyes away and glancing over his shoulder guiltily at BT to see if the Titan had noticed the change.  BT gave him a slow, knowing blink, tipping his sensor array slightly, and Blisk stood in a hurry.

“Eeh, think Ah intimidate ‘im,” Blisk explained dimissively, taking one long step back and turning to face the Titan properly.  “Ah can’t do anythin’ about th’ ribs, but he’ll be alright, yeah?” BT nodded to him, stepping in close -too close- and reaching past the mercenary to gently lift Jack from the ground.  Jack let out a hiss of pain as he was lifted, but endured without greater complaint. Blisk watched closely as BT opened up and gently deposited Jack into the cockpit.

“Understood,” the Vanguard said, shifting back.

“Stap gettin hurt, ya hear?” Blisk called after Jack before BT could close up. “Ah can’t be here ta save yer skinny ass every time, yeah?”

Jack gave him a brilliant smile and, as the canopy doors closed around him called, “So far you have!”

BT didn’t give the mercenary a chance to respond.  He turned on his heel and ran off to deliver Jack to safety, leaving Blisk and Red standing in his wake.  

“Oooh, you’re giving him heart palpitations!” Red chimed, once they were alone.

“Shaddup, Red,” Blisk growled.

 

It would be a very long time before Jack and BT were deployed again.  It took Jack seven weeks to be cleared from medical leave for his ribs, and six more after that of training to get back into fighting shape.  

Once again, BT and Jack avoided discussing the Blisk-shaped elephant in their proverbial room. Jack worried about inciting BT’s disapproval, not wanting to reveal just how preoccupied he was with Blisk and his actions.  The urge to return to Bohr was becoming almost distracting, but he kept this to himself as well.

BT on the other hand, could see right through his Pilot.  Though Jack’s fascination with the Apex Predator left the Titan troubled by what the future might hold for his Pilot, ultimately, BT only had one true concern: Jack’s happiness.

It was for this exact reason that the Titan had maintained the codes to Red’s frequency, and why, nearly two years ago now, he’d replied to the Legion the one time he’d bothered to send them a greeting.  He knew, just like Red, there would come a day when they’d need to reach one another.

 

It was only a few months shy of three years since Typhon, when the need finally arose, though not in the way BT had anticipated.  

They were in the loading bay, just beginning their pre-deployment checks, along with dozens of other teams, when BT received the message.

_Today is an excellent day for a systems malfunction._

At first, BT almost failed to understand, and almost replied with his confusion, but then, the Legion’s true meaning registered. Do not deploy.

The Vanguard’s processor spun up, BT frantically trying to decide on whether or not he should divulge this tip to others, as well as what to do with the information himself.

 _Protocol Two_ hammered against _Protocol Three_ and it was all the Titan could do to prevent a total shutdown.  At his feet, Jack paused, sensing BT’s distress.

“BT?” BT fell calm again at the sound of his name, and he aimed his burning gaze down at the Pilot.  

“Jack, Trust me,” he said, whisper quiet.  With that, he quietly re-routed full power into his auxiliary generator, forcing far more output from the little motor than it had any business attempting to handle, until there was a loud _Pop!_ and a dainty poof of smoke from somewhere behind the Titan’s left shoulder.  Immediately, BT’s biolights dimmed and he shuddered before sinking to his hands and knees.  “Error, power transfer unit failure. Generator inop,” he announced. Immediately several technicians ran over, nearly plowing Jack over in the process. BT kept his gaze fixed on Jack, the Pilot backing away in wide-eyed silence as the men and women in mechanics’ uniforms swarmed over BT like insects, inspecting him.  Panels were removed. Someone yelped when he touched a too-hot surface, and someone else coughed as another little cloud of electrical smoke billowed out from an opened access door.

“Shit, we don’t have enough spare parts on hand, and there’s not enough time to make repairs before the drop,” one of the techs said.  “Sorry Cooper, looks like you’re grounded until we get this fixed.”

Jack nodded numbly, still staring wide-eyed at BT.  

“Got it,” he mumbled.  BT blinked slowly at him, relieved.  

 

Not a single soul made it out of that deployment alive.  There had been no reported sightings of the Apex Predators, but the IMC presence had been nearly triple what they had expected. Jack and BT both were shaken by their narrow escape from a similar fate, but thanks to the mechanics working overtime to get one of their Ace Titans back in action, it was days before they were able to discuss the Vanguard’s well-timed breakdown in private.

 

“Red warned me,” BT confessed at last, late one evening nearly a week later. “Or rather, he suggested a malfunction.”

Jack’s jaw dropped.

“He…?? But how did he even get ahold of you?!” He demanded. “Are you sure that’s who it was?”

BT nodded.

“I am certain.  Having rebuilt my entire operating system from the ground up, he has had my codes from the beginning, and likewise, I received his when he hailed us on the battlefield two years ago.”

Jack’s eyes were getting bigger and bigger as he processed what BT was telling him.

“You mean… you can get ahold of each other...just...whenever?”  BT could practically see Jack’s mind racing as he considered all of the implications of this.  For several long minutes, Jack was speechless. Then, in a sudden burst of motion, he clambered up BT’s leg, rapping on the cockpit door.

“Let me in.” BT complied, already retracing the signal, knowing what Jack’s next request would be.  By the time Jack had settled into the seat, Red was greeting them, his rich, booming voice flooding the cockpit.

 _“Hey Kid! How’re the ribs doing? All better?_ ” At first, Jack’s only reply was stunned silence.  Something about Red’s friendly voice made his heart clench.  Around him, BT shifted a little, shaking him out of his reviere.

“Y-yeah. Yeah totally,” Jack stammered.  There was another awkward pause, then, “Does he know?”

 _“Uh...no. Should probably tell him, huh?_ ”

“Maybe,” Jack said dismissively.  “Hey… Thanks.” He wouldn’t say for what. He couldn’t risk the transmission being intercepted, but he knew Red would know what he meant.

“ _Keep your head up,_ ” was all the Legion said in reply, adding, “ _Stay in touch._ ”

With that, the transmission cut, and Jack was left sitting stunned with his thoughts, mind racing.

At length, BT broke the silence.

“Pilot…?”

“Why, BT?” Jack whispered.

“For you,” BT replied. “Everything I do is for you, Jack.”  

“They’re our enemies,” Jack moaned, and it was clear it was not just BT he was arguing the point with.

“They saved both of our lives,” BT countered evenly. “Repeatedly.”  He paused, contemplating his next words carefully before continuing.  “While I do not condone their lifestyle, and while I have not forgotten all that they have cost us, likewise, I cannot overlook all that they have done for us...for you, either.  I have, regarding Blisk, reached an equilibrium.” He paused again, giving Jack a minute to think on this. “You, Jack, are special in a way that has driven an evil man to do good, and you have proven time and again to be a keen judge of character. All of this has made me reconsider my previous judgements against him.”

Jack listened quietly, but BT could detect his heart rate accelerate into a hard gallop as he spoke.

“I can’t explain it,” Jack said quietly at last, “But… I want to find them.  Off the battlefield, you know? It’s...it’s driving me crazy, BT. I don’t know what to do.”

“Perhaps,” BT said, his tone low and gentle, “it is time for you to go on leave for a while.  You’ve earned it, and no one will question you.”

Jack blew out the long breath he’d been holding, the pressure in his chest lessening just a little as some of his fear of a bad reaction from the Titan was assuaged.

“I think you’re right, BT.”

  


It’d been easier than Jack expected.  He’d walked into Brigg’s office with a written request for a week’s shore leave, and she hadn’t even looked at it before she offered him two, asked where he wanted to go, and promptly had him delivered.

 

Now Jack stood just outside the starport on the neutral resort planet Perlas, named for her opalescent rings that hung like satin drapes in the sky, looking around and feeling terribly out of place with the first civilian clothes he’d seen in at least five years on his back, a hat on his head, and sunglasses completing his ridiculous ensemble.  He was trying his best to stay incognito, but he felt like an idiot.

He already missed BT.  It felt strange to be away from the Titan after three years of the pair being at times literally inseparable.  He took his meals with the Titan, shared all (or most) of his hopes, dreams, and fears with the Titan. He even, from time to time, slept in the cockpit, even when he had a perfectly decent bed as an option.

He missed BT and he really hoped that Red had understood what he meant when he’d asked the Legion where he suggested Jack go for some R&R, and why he’d happened to mention the date and time of his arrival when he’d announced where he’d be going.

 

Jack crossed the ornate courtyard, and with a huff, threw himself onto one of the many park benches. He didn’t just look like an idiot, he _was_ an idiot.  Had he really just dropped a hint and then flown halfway across the Frontier in the hope that Blisk would follow him?

Yes. Yes, he had.

As the reality of what he’d done set in, he groaned and tossed his sunglasses onto the seat beside him, tipping forward to brace his elbows on his knees and bury his face in his hands.  Why why _why_ had he done that? What was he thinking? Furthermore, who was he to think the mercenary would even take the hint, let alone actually come?!

“Jack, you idiot,” he told himself aloud.

He stayed like this for quite some time, and continued to even as someone came and helped themselves to the other end of the bench, easing down with a sigh. Jack could feel eyes on him but that was an even better reason, in his mind, not to look up.

“Ya always go on vacation ta sulk, or has th’ gorgeous weather got ya depressed?”

Jack’s heart shot up into his throat so fast he swore he choked on it, the Militia Pilot sitting up ramrod straight as his head swiveled around to stare wide-eyed in shock at the man seated next to him.

He blinked owlishly at Blisk, wondering if he was imagining him -and then wondering why he’d do such a thing- until the mercenary shot him a crooked grin.

“Hey, Hero.”

It was Blisk’s turn to blink back at Jack as the younger man broke out in to a brilliant sunshine smile, even if his ears turned pink at the nickname.  He was, undeniably, genuinely glad to see Blisk, and it showed.

“H-hey yourself.”

Blisk’s jaw went a little slack at the sight, and he looked away with a grunt.

“Put yer sunglasses back on, ya don’t want anyone recognizin’ ya...especially sittin’ with _me_ , yeah?”

Jack fumbled with the shades, nearly poking an eye out as he hurriedly put them back on, but then turned a pout on the other man.

“Well, you recognized me anyway,” he argued. Blisk snorted.

“Ah’d like ta think Ah know ya well enough not ta have ta see yer face ta recognize ya,” he said, almost petulantly.  The pink tinge to Jack’s ears depened to bright red, then spread out under the sunglasses into his cheeks, and Blisk’s mouth went dry as he heard himself.  He cleared his throat, standing quickly. “C’mon. Ah bet ya don’t even have somewhere ta stay yet,” he said, voice going rough.

Jack hurried to his feet as well, muttering a confirmation of the accusation.

“Good. C’mon, then,” Blisk grunted, already marching off with long enough strides that Jack had to jog to keep up.

 

Blisk led him back through the port, out onto the public use ramp, and to the same little transport he’d rescued him from Typhon with.

To Jack’s surprise, Red wasn’t waiting for them on board like he’d assumed he would be.

“No Red?” He asked as they boarded, Blisk ushering him into the copilot’s seat with a gentle nudge to his back.

“Naw.  Likes ta do his own thing when we’re not workin,” Blisk said, shrugging. Jack nodded, mildly disappointed but, at the same time, a tiny little thrill ignited down the back of his neck like a lit fuse at the notion of not having to share his time with the other man.  

Jack was still mulling this half-notion over in his head when Blisk made the call to traffic control, artfully changing his voice to hide his identity as he did so, so that the pitch raised an octave and the accent vanished.  Jack smirked. It sounded terrible. Blisk’s eye twitched, and once they’d cleared the busy airspace, he turned a salty glare at Jack, just daring him to say something.

Jack laughed, the smirk breaking into a full-on grin.

“That’s pretty good,” he teased, delighting in the put-off huff he got right before Blisk broke into a grin of his own.

“Damn straight it is.”

 

They headed out away from the busy city center, staying well within the atmosphere so that after only a few minutes, a gemstone blue ocean came into view, the business districts giving way to residential clusters.

The buildings were all white and pristine, and it was clear that the residents here were  more than wealthy. As the ocean grew closer, the homes became bigger, until finally they passed over a seaside promenade edged with a handful of taller buildings, each with their own landing pads, hanging gardens, and glittering windows. Jack gazed out the viewport in awe, soaking in the luxurious view, but did a double-take when Blisk brought them down on one such building, poised on the border between the outskirts of the city and the subtropical wilderness.

He clutched at his knapsack as he trailed after Blisk across the paved rooftop, wide-eyed and head on the swivel, wondering just what kind of place they were staying at.  When they reached the door leading down inside, however, Blisk laid his hand over a bioscan reader to unlock it. Jack’s jaw hinged open, and the merc gave him a particularly smug grin as he held the door for him.

“It’s a bit of a step up from Bohr,” he commented.  

Jack trailed dumbly after the older man down a flight of stairs onto the first landing down, which presented only a single door.  This too unlocked with a scan to Blisk’s palm, but before they entered, he held back, tapping in another code into the panel quickly.

“Here,” he said, and reached out to catch Jack’s wrist, lifting his hand to the scanner.

At first, Jack thought he’d received an electric shock as Blisk’s fingers closed over his skin, and he sucked in a startled gasp, almost jerking his arm back.  Blisk’s grip, however, was strong even when he was being gentle, and Jack’s arm barely budged as the other Pilot pressed his hand against the scanner.

Blisk’s palm on his wrist felt burning hot, the warmth soaking deep into Jack’s body and spreading up his arm and into his chest, making his other hand tingle lonesomely and his heart begin to race. His face felt like it had burst into flames as he flushed red-hot and Blisk’s fingers twitched against his skin.  

The scanner beeped suddenly, loud in the otherwise silent foyer, an indicator light going from red to green, and the door snapped open with a friendly chime.  Blisk let Jack’s hand drop a split second before it started to shake, and Jack heaved in a silent breath, trying desperately not to visibly gasp for air.

What the hell was _that_?

It was over as fast as it happened, however, and then Jack was forced to put the event aside as he stepped in over the threshold into Blisk’s penthouse.

“Holy shit.”

The entryway opened directly into what appeared to be the main living area, and pointed the arrivals directly to the bank of windows that replaced an entire wall, offering a panoramic view of the glittering ocean unlike anything Jack had ever seen.  

“ _This_ is where Ah live, mostly,” Blisk said, his voice warm and fond.  “Reminds me a lot of Cape Town, on Earth.”

      “Is that where you’re from?” Jack asked, even as he drifted away from Blisk’s side toward the windows

“Yeah. You?”

“Earth. Left too young to remember where from, though,” Jack said absently, picking his way past a enormous suede sofa, coffee table, and a few other stuffed chairs. Everything was as austere as the apartment on Bohr, but here, also, were little signs of character: A worn spot in the sofa, a few trinkets and even a couple of framed photos on shelves.  This was a _home_.  Jack had made it to the windows and nearly pressed himself against one of the panes, gazing out at where deep blue met sky at the horizon. “It’s beautiful…”

  Blisk had sidled up beside him to stand close at his shoulder.  Jack swore he could feel the other man's body heat radiating off of him.

"You can stay... if ya want to. There's a spare bedroom..." Jack chewed the inside of his lip, his heart giving another inexplicable little kick in his chest again.   He thought about how Blisk had changed the lock on his door to accept Jack's hand print as well as his own. He could see Blisk's reflection in the window, and through it they made eye contact, the merc having been watching him the same way.

  "I’d really appreciate that," Jack said at last.  The stressed crinkles around Blisk's eyes vanished and he smiled warmly as Jack turned away from the breathtaking vista to look up at him properly.  "Thank you."

 

Getting the grand tour of Blisk's home was perhaps one of the most surreal experiences of Jack's life.  He trailed after the big man, lost in thought as he struggled with where they sat between friend and foe.  They were, technically, still enemies, weren't they? But here he'd more or less fled to Blisk, specifically to spend time with him away from the life that pitted them against one another. Here he was, smiling every time something else hinted at a glimpse into the other man's personality and soaking in the details the way one did in friendship.

Gone was the fear, and the mistrust. Gone was the queasy flop of his stomach when he stepped into the washroom and noticed again the spicy scent of Blisk's pomade, and instead Jack realized it was quite pleasant, and terribly suiting of his friend.

In the place of these things, as the days started to tick by, arrived the butterflies.

It was a good thing Jack hadn’t actually made any plans for his visit, because it seemed Blisk certainly had.  Once or twice Jack felt a pang of guilt, genuinely not having intended to burden Blisk with hosting him for the entirety of his two week visit, but the mercenary seemed more than happy to do just that.  They spent several days touring the city, and when Blisk realized Jack just couldn’t get enough of the ocean, significantly more on the beach.

Eleven days in found Jack several shades tanner, and more relaxed and happy than he could ever recall himself being. There had been not a single mention of the Militia, or the IMC, or even Blisk’s outfit, and Jack felt like he’d forgotten himself completely.  It was frightening and freeing and he realized he didn’t want it to change.

“I feel like a different person,” he admitted that night, slumped on the couch exhausted from a day of play in the sun.  Beside him, Blisk sat close enough that their elbows touched on occasion, the accidental brushes of skin on skin making Jack’s heart race every time, so much so that he’d taken up the habit of intentionally staying too close in the hopes of yet another electrifying collision of their bodies.

He hadn’t thought about it hard enough to pinpoint what it meant, or else he’d never have allowed himself to do it.

“Ya seem like a different person,” Blisk agreed, the words rumbling low out of his chest, the merc in the same state of buoyant relaxation that Jack was.

“I...I really appreciate all that you’ve done… It… I didn’t mean to impose like I have but you’ve… I just.... Thank you.” Jack fumbled, uncertain as to why his throat closed as he spoke.  Blisk chuckled, low and sweet.

“Well Red told me ya happened ta be comin’ this way, that this was where the Militia liked ta dump their shore leaves but that ya didn’t know th’ place or anyone here…”

“It was Red that suggested I come here. I had no idea this was where you lived,” Jack blurted, and Blisk’s mouth snapped shut and his eyes sprang wide open.

“He _what_?”

Jack blushed hotly, and ducked his head down.  

“I mean… Yeah I told him when I was coming in the hopes you might show up, but I never… that is…”

“That little shit!” Blisk laughed. “He set us up.”

Jack’s face only got hotter, and he sank down into the couch, flustered.

“I g-guess you could call it that…”

Blisk said nothing more to that, letting Jack have his fluster in peace, but after a few minutes, turned his gaze back on the smaller man, looking Jack over thoughtfully. He offered a thin, gentle smile and, after hesitating with his arm up for a moment, reached out and pulled Jack flush against him in a sideways embrace. Jack gasped, sitting rigid for a few moments, and then, finally, relaxed.  He let his head drop down to Blisk’s shoulder, leaning in with a sigh.

“Glad ya came,” Blisk said softly, giving Jack’s arm a gentle squeeze. Jack nodded against him but said nothing. His heart was up in his throat, hammering hard enough to knock teeth out, his mind chasing itself in circles, but he didn’t move, letting Blisk hold onto him until finally, he resigned himself to how _right_ their arrangement felt, and closed his eyes.  He drifted into slumber in minutes.

 

Day twelve started with Jack awakening to find they’d never moved from the couch. He had slept clean through the night tipped to one side with his head on Blisk’s shoulder, and Blisk had not made him move, instead staying put until he too had given in to exhaustion. Now they were propped against one another, Blisk’s arm slack around Jack’s lower back and hip and his head dipped down to rest over Jack’s, his even breathing tickling through Jack’s hair.  

Jack’s neck and back ached something fierce, and he was certain it would be even worse for Blisk, but for a while, he simply remained as he was, soaking in the warmth and the sound of his friend sleeping, cherishing the moment of total peace. Only when Blisk’s breathing shifted out of deep sleep did Jack finally, carefully, lift his head.

“Kuben…” He murmured the name, still foreign and inexplicably intimate to him, and tried to nudge Blisk’s head back against the couch instead of himself. “We slept on the couch…”

Blisk groaned, his whole body momentarily tensing and his arm tightening around Jack in a hard squeeze, before he woke fully and everything fell slack once more.

“Whu…?” He lifted his head, and Jack couldn’t help but smile at the bleary, confused look the other man gave him. “Augh...fuck, mah neck…” He groaned, shaking his head to try and ease the cramping.  “Ugh…” He finally woke fully, turning a strikingly open, fond look down on Jack. “Mornin,” he whispered.

Jack felt his mouth go dry at the look.

“Good morning,” he replied, just as quietly.  All at once he was assaulted by the intrusive realization of how pretty the other man’s eyes were, and he turned pink.

It was in that moment that Jack finally recognized what was happening to him, and for a moment, he thought he might faint. He was still staring breathlessly up into Blisk’s eyes, his blush getting hotter and hotter and his ears starting to ring from holding his breath.  Finally he couldn’t take it any longer and the spell was broken as he quickly wiggled out from under Blisk’s arm and up and away from the couch.

“Gotta piss,” he muttered, and hurried to the washroom.

 _What the hell have you gone and done, Coop?!_ Jack stood braced over the bathroom sink, staring wide-eyed in horror at his own reflection as he tried to ease his hammering heart before he exploded. Blisk’s clear, sky blue eyes were burned into his retinas, his face and that too-gentle expression flashing behind his eyelids every time he closed his eyes.  Jack groaned softly, careful to muffle the sound. _I am in so much trouble…_

 

He took his sweet time washing up, and by the time he emerged, Blisk was off the couch, dressed in clean clothes, and already fiddling about in the kitchen.  Jack sat himself down at the table nearby to watch the other man work. Uninvited, a memory arose of Blisk poised in the lackluster little kitchenette on Bohr, with his head down, after a heated discussion over a sensitive topic. A fire in a frying pan.

It was uncommonly quiet, the merc usually chatting up a storm each morning as he cooked; telling stories, quizzing Jack on his interests or personal history.  Jack now knew Blisk well enough to realize the silence was telling, but he became genuinely concerned when he started fumbling, cussing softly as a vegetable rolled off the counter with a thud.

Jack had clearly not played it as cool as he’d hoped he had.

He swallowed hard, watching for a few more long, painful minutes, before he finally got the courage to break the silence.

“Hey...um…”  Blisk dropped what he was doing, turning quickly to look at Jack with bright, interested eyes. He looked hopeful and Jack felt like he was trying to swallow sand. “D’you think we can go back into town… I...I can’t stop thinking about that one bakery…”

It was all a lie.  What he really wanted was to forget breakfast, forget the bakery, or going out at all, and get back on the couch with Kuben, which is what he really couldn’t stop thinking about, but he just didn’t have the courage to make that kind of request.  Blisk gave him a broad smile, but Jack swore he could see a glimmer of hurt in his eyes.

“Of course,” he said, turning back to the counter.  “Yer takin’ off tomorrow, yeah? We’ll make sure all th’ boxes are checked today fer sure.”

 

Jack cried himself to sleep that night.  Not the hard, uncontrollable breakdown type of cry, but the slow, resigned weep of a man who was pretty sure he was falling in love and utterly uncertain of what to do about it.

He didn’t want to leave. Wasn’t ready to go back to his real life.  He’d had twelve days of near perfection, of total happiness. He’d forgotten the war. Forgotten the fear and the pain, and the uncertainty of it. Forgotten that if he and Blisk crossed paths outside of this city, they were mortal enemies.

He slept in far later than was typical, and when he shuffled out on his last morning, he was groggy, his eyes red and puffy and crusted over.  For some reason, seeing that Blisk had already cooked, and cleaned up -a chore Jack had taken upon himself in repayment for all of the good cooking - made Jack want to cry all over again.  He smiled, murmuring his gratitude and appreciation instead.

 

It was Bohr all over again. That’s all he could think of.  They’d stopped talking, and though the silence was amicable, and peppered with friendly glances and little smiles, it stretched and stretched and ground into Jack’s heart until thought he might shatter.  He kept his eyes turned out the shuttle’s little window as Blisk flew them back to the spaceport, trying to burn in every detail, every memory because he didn’t think there’d ever be a chance to return. It was only when they’d landed, and both men stood in the cargo bay ready to disembark, that Jack spoke again.

“Thank you, Kuben.  I can honestly tell you I had the time of my life,” he had no misgivings about telling him that, at least.  “It’s hard to go back.”

Blisk gave him a strained smile, his eyes crinkling.

“Th’ job offer stands,” he joked softly.  Jack chuckled, but shook his head.

“I’m sure the Militia would love to have you on their side, too,” he countered.  Blisk made a gagging noise, but then laughed softly, Jack joining in.

“No way.”  

“Don’t suppose you can wait with me,” Jack muttered, shuffling forward as Blisk reached up to open the bay door.

“Naw… Ya really don’t want me ta be seen with ya,” Blisk replied, and though he’d said this a number of times in the three years they’d known each other, for the first time true regret tainted his voice.  “But… one more thing, eh?” He let his hand drop, turning to face Jack fully as he stepped in close. Close enough that his knees bumped against Jack’s thighs, and the shorter Pilot had to crane his neck to look up at him.  Jack’s breath caught as Blisk brought his hands up to cup the outsides of Jack’s shoulders warmly in a sort of embrace. He was staring down at him, pale eyes serious and searching, and, after a few heartbeats, shuffled forward just a little bit further, flushing himself in close and dipping his head down to very lightly brush his lips over Jack’s.

Jack gasped into the fleeting kiss, the tender gesture stunning him into immobility.  He stared back up at the other man, wide-eyed and breathless as Blisk pulled back. The mercenary gave him a tiny, winsome smile and then slapped the bay door open, gently nudging him forward then backing away out of view from outside.

“Take care, Jack.”

 

It was a two-day journey home to Harmony, and Jack was still numb when he arrived, late in the night. Most of the base was sleeping, but Jack cut straight through to the Titan hangars.  BT said nothing as Jack ran to him, instead simply scooping up his Pilot and stowing him safely into his cockpit without question. Jack wanted to cry, or run, but instead he sucked in a deep, steadying breath.  It was confession time.

“BT, I don’t know what to do…”

**Author's Note:**

> Surely by now it's common knowledge that I'm a total masochist. ( ´ ▽ ` )  
> Still not sorry. 
> 
> Give me lots of comments (feed me, please, I'm lonely...) and maybe someone will actually make it to second base someday.


End file.
